Rain
by Zinfer
Summary: Nami's upset and needs some alone time, however, what she thought would be a nice walk through the town, turns out to be a dangerous venture, and no one knows what trouble she's in. LxN yay, my first romance... sorta.
1. Chapter 1

Alone Time

They were soaked. It had taken hours for her to complete her latest map of the island they were docked at, and now they were drenched with Usopp's latest hot sauce. Luffy had come barging in at the sound of Sanji calling "supper time", and had run right into Usopp's back, causing the spicy sauce to spill all over the map Nami had placed on the table in hope of showing her crew what she had had finished.

"What have you done?!" Nami shouted at Luffy in anger and grabbed her papers to see what damage had been made to her work. The map was hardly recognizable now that it was covered with the red liquid and the lines were blurred. She had been so excited about showing it off, and now she wished she had just left it in her navigational room. All of her hard work had been ruined.

The navigator closed her eyes in agitation. Usopp's jaw dropped in shock as he looked at his spicy sauce that now covered the table. "Wadja to that for?! I was working very hard on that!"

"Oi, sorry Usopp, I didn't mean to run into you" Luffy apologized to the marksman, who sighed. There wasn't much that could be done, and he couldn't stay mad at the boy.

"It's ok. I'll just start over" Usopp said, returning the bowl to its upright position.

"Hey Sanji, Could you get me another plate of fish" asked Franky, whose plate had also been ruined by the sauce.

"Sure thing" the cook replied, and soon everything had returned to the usual supper time for the crew.

This irritated Nami, for it seemed that no one cared that her maps had been ruined. She had worked so hard on them, and no one even noticed that they were a mess now.

"Thanks Luffy" she mumbled coldly, then carried her papers out of the kitchen.

The others followed her with their eyes till she had closed the door, then they all looked at Luffy who cocked his head.

"Why'd she thank me?" he asked aloud, completely lost as to why she was upset.

"Luffy" Usopp sighed "that was sarcasm. She wasn't really thanking you. She was upset with you for ruining her maps."

"I ruined her maps?!" Luffy shouted in shock.

"You just now realized that?!" the crew shouted in unison.

"AHH! I'd better go apologize!" the captain shouted to no one in particular, then rushed out the door.

The crew sighed together and returned to their eating.

Luffy made his way to the deck of the Thousand Sunny and looked around to see Nami walking out of her navigation room. She had a small backpack on and was making her way to the wharf they were docked at.

"NO NAMI! Don't leave! I'm sorry!" Luffy shouted and ran over to her. His response was an odd look from the navigator.

"What makes you think I'm leaving?" she asked.

"Well, you were pretty upset when you left the kitchen…" he mumbled, rubbing his head.

"Don't worry Luffy, I'm not leaving. I'm just going ashore for some time to myself."

The navigator still looked upset, and her voice sounded irritated, but she didn't yell at the boy talking to her.

"I'll come with you if you want" Luffy said questioningly.

"Not now Luffy. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be around you right now."

Luffy looked sad, but didn't press the issue. If his navigator wanted some space, he would let her have it.

"I'll be in town if you need me" she said shouldering her backpack, and then stepped off the ship.

"I really am sorry" Luffy said quietly before she walked off.

"It's ok" she mumbled, then continued down the walkway. She was a little taken back by his statement, but kept walking. It would take more than that to make things fine again. She was still very upset. Maybe there were maps in the town, but how could she know if they were accurate?

The navigator let out a sigh. She just needed some time to chill.

The sun was slowly setting to the west. It was the only thing on the Grand Line that was for certain. No matter what the weather, the sun always rose and set. As the ginger haired girl walked into the small town, she pondered this and this brought another thought to her awareness. Like the sun, she could always count on her captain and crew to be there for her. She frowned; she wasn't going to be ok with them just yet. The navigator stopped and turned towards the ship. It looked remarkable against the sunset and she could make out her captain leaning on the railing.

"Hmph" she chuckled aloud. It was funny how she could just forgive them and come back to the ship, but she was a stubborn girl and she knew it. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of thinking it wasn't that big of a deal. To think that she would just get over it, as if it didn't matter.

Letting out a sigh she continued up the road that would lead to the town. The season of the island was fall, and the view was pleasant. The sun glistened off of the red and golden leaves that covered the island upon trees of diverse sizes and shapes. It was definitely a peaceful place to be. This wasn't helping her fuel her temper.

As she walked into the town she began to search for a shop that might have some maps of the area. The town seemed normal, with crowds of people filling the streets. She spotted a meat market and a few book stores. Finally, she potted what she was looking for; a store full of maps. To be honest, she was a bit surprised to find such a store in the village. Most towns didn't care much for maps; none the less have a store for them. She walked in and spotted a man at the counter, with three other men. They were hovered over a large map and mumbling to one another.

Nami walked over to them and coughed to get their attention. She seemed to have taken them by surprise, for upon hearing her cough, the one with his back to her snapped around with an expression she didn't quite understand. He looked surprised, but she felt frightened by his face, which looked almost lustful. She stepped back but the man behind the counter held up his hand and smiled.

"Don't mind him, he's just very edgy. Now what can I don't for you?"

"Right" she said, calming herself "I'm here to see if you have a map of this island I could buy."

The man laughed. "Do we have a map of the island? My girl, this is a map shop. Do you really think we don't have a map of our own island?"

Nami blushed, a little embarrassed; "Sorry".

"Don't worry, I got one for ya' right here" he said as he pulled a map out from underneath the counter.

"That'll be 20 beli" he said handing it to her.

"What!" Nami shouted "that's robbery!"

"Feel free to go to the other map shop in town and see if they have a better deal" he responded sarcastically.

Nami growled. He had a good point, this was her only option, so she handed him the money and took the map. Reaching into her backpack, she took out her original copy and checked to see if they resembled one another. She smiled in pride, seeing that they were almost identical, except for the hot sauce. She lifted her head to see what the other maps had on them, and to her surprise, they were all identical to the one she had, but some had been marked at different parts of the island. Nami's curiosity got the best of her.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are all these maps for, and what do these marked spots represent?"

The man looked up "curious cat are you? Well, let me explain. You see, all across this island are herds of large deer called Amphels. They are strong creatures, and we take great pride in catching the head male in the herd. They usually have enormous horns that can be up to 6 feet long."

Nami's jaw dropped. Just how big were these Amphels?

"They are our major food source and we keep track of each heard that dwells on this island. Every man, woman, and child learns to hunt these creatures, and we usually pursue them once a week."

The navigator was becoming a bit uncomfortable. Just how important was hunting to this town?

"How long will you be staying with us mam?" he asked kindly.

"Oh not too long; my crew and I will be shipping out hopefully by tonight" she replied with a small smile.

"Aw, that's too bad. We would love for you to join us. Oh well. Do enjoy your time here miss, we'll be seeing you."

Nami thought she saw the men glance at each other, but it happened so fast she figured she had imagined it. As she stepped out of the shop she noticed that the town did seem a bit odd. She could smell the odor of meat everywhere, and she kept noticing people glancing at her.

"What's with this place?" she wondered, then looked to the sky to see that is had become much darker than it had been since she entered the store. She also noticed the dark clouds coming upon them. There would be quite a storm tonight.

The navigator figured she'd better rush back to the ship before the rain would drench her. So she began jogging down the street, glancing around nervously as she noticed that the once crowded street was now vacant. She was now becoming uneasy, and picked up her pace; suddenly wishing she had let Luffy come along. The navigator felt a bit guilty for being so upset with him, now that she knew getting a new map would be so easy. Her temper had departed from her and been replaced with the uneasy feeling that she couldn't shake. Why was she freaking out? So what the streets were empty? That didn't mean anything.

She was now sprinting down the road, towards the fading sunset. The sun had already slipped behind the horizon and the dark clouds soon washed away the magnificent color she had seen earlier.

Suddenly, she heard a scurrying noise behind her and she stopped. Nami turned her head to see nothing but an empty street. She shivered, partially from cold, partially out of dread. Something was up, she knew it. Now that night was coming over the island, it had become quite chilly without the warmth of the sun. This reminded her of the comparison she had made of her captain earlier, comparing him to the sun. She wished the sun would come back up, just until she made it back to the Thousand Sunny, but she knew, though she could always count on the sun to come up in the morning, it wasn't always there. She could also count on it setting in the evening. However, she knew that Luffy would come if he knew, for he, unlike the sun, cared about her, and would come if he knew she was in trouble; but he didn't know. He was probably still waiting on the deck for her to return.

The rain began to fall. Lightly at first, then the droplets became larger and closer together. Before she knew it, she was drenched, but she could find no place for shelter, so she briskly made her way, once again, down the road.

Then she spotted it; a flash to her left. It came from an alleyway, but once again, she was left wondering what it was, for it had vanished, whatever it was.

The navigator was now officially creeped out and began sprinting down the street as the rain pelted against her face.

Finally she saw what was pursuing her. She had heard a loud panting noise from behind and turned to see, what appeared to be, an enormous dog. It actually looked like a combination of a wolf and a bear. It had brown fur and was broader than a normal wolf, but its snout was longer than a bears, and its ears were pointed at the tips. It ran on all fours, but as she ran she saw that it would sometimes only run on its back feet.

Nami screamed in terror and tried to pick up her pace.

_What on earth was something like that doing in the town?!_

The creature was catching up to her as she began to run out of steam, then she heard more panting around her. It had turned dark and she could hardly see around her, but she glanced over her shoulder to see the dark shadows of, not one, but seven beasts overtaking her. Their eyes glowed brightly in the darkness and she could hear the dead leaves crunching under their paws, and the clacking of their claws against the rocks scattered across the road.

Nami was drenched by the rain, but she could feel warm tears pouring from her eyes. She was struck with terror and regret. Was she really going to die here? She wished she had her nakama with her. They had always been there in the past, but they had no clue she was in such terrible danger. It was her own fault. Luffy had offered to come with her. He had asked to join her, but she had refused. Now she wished more than ever that she had told him that the stupid map didn't matter, that she loved having him around. How would he know now?

"Help me! Somebody!" she screamed as she heard the breath of one of the creatures behind her jolt, and heard the leaves scatter across the earth. Figuring that one of the beasts had jumped towards her, she dropped to her knees just in time. She felt a rush of air as the creature flew over her head and skidded to a stop in front of her. The navigator would have given anything for her clima tact, but the fact that she was weaponless couldn't be helped. She was surprised that the wolf creatures behind her hadn't pounced upon her, and she looked up to see that they had stopped, only a few feet away. Several more came up and joined the one in front of her. In a matter of seconds she had become surrounded, and she shuttered as she heard their rough breath rapidity increase in excitement. Then her eyes widened in shock as she heard a voice come from the back.

"You curious cat, we usually don't go on our hunt for another five days, but since your such easy prey, we figured it best to give the young an easy kill for experience."

The voice was rough, but she recognized it as the voice that belonged to the man behind the counter at the map shop. Then it all clicked.

"You mean… you are the people I saw earlier!?" she asked in shock.

"Look who's a smart little kitten" he growled, and she saw his dark form rise to his full height over her. The beast stood at a shocking 9 feet over her, and his bright eyes were filled with that fearful desire she had seen earlier.

"Well, since we will be devouring you soon, I guess I'll just inform you of a few things before you die" he said, a bit amused. "You see, we are normal humans most of the time. Living our lives with the daily routine, but unlike regular humans, we transform into our real form when we go on a hunt. Humanity bores us, and we all live our lives in anticipation for that next chase; for that weekly kill. However, it seems we'll be getting and extra dose of excitement for this week. I'm curious to see how such a lovely lady will taste" he said licking his lips.

Nami felt her heart pounding in her chest and she shook all over. The rain was frigid against her skin, and had seeped into her clothes to where they gave no warmth to her. Her hands were numb and her knees were scraped up from the fall she had just taken.

"You're humans though!" the navigator shouted in reply, hoping to either buy time, or convince them not to eat her. Her best bet would be the first option.

"Why would you prey on your own kind?"

The werewolf chuckled. "Our own kind? You? Hah! Your kind is weak, and foolishly kindhearted. We are the higher species, which puts us higher on the food chain and you are free game."

As he spoke those words, Nami thought back to Arlong and the merman's way of thinking. That because they were stronger, or more adaptable, they could just walk all over the lower species. Would she fall victim, once again, to this way of thought.

"We'll give you a fighting chance though. Here's how this is going to work. You will be allowed to run from here, and we will stay behind, but our pups will chase you down instead. This gives them a taste of a real hunt, and I'm sure you'll be real treat for them."

Lightning flashed, revealing the horror on the girls face as she saw the smaller beasts make their way through the pack. They were smaller than the older ones, but still appeared to be much larger than the average wolf.

"You'd better run little kitty" said the werewolf as he stepped out to the side, leaving her an opening.

To be continued….

This was actually supposed to be a oneshot but it turned out I made it too long and need to divide it into chapters. Luckily for you! I'm almost done writing it so I can be quick to update cheers! I am still working on "For Nakama" so don't worry. I haven't forgotten it… im just havin a lil trouble putting the events coming up in order. Thanks for reading! Please R&R it really is what makes me update. Without ur comments, I have no motivation to put anything up.


	2. A Lamp and an Umbrella

-A lamp and an Umbrella-

The navigator scrambled to her feet, slipping as she rushed to escape from the pack. She didn't want to waist this second chance to escape, but she wondered how she would be able to get away. She had neither the speed to out run the beasts, nor the strength to fight them off. She needed help, for someone to come and save her. The face that kept coming up in her head was Luffy smiling happily at her, with that reassurance that could always be found in endless bounty, but it was only in her head. He wasn't here. He was waiting for her to come back to him, but she wouldn't make it back.

The padding of the pup's paws could be heard all around her, and she knew it wouldn't be long before they would catch her.

"Anyone! Please help me!!" she shouted in fear. Her breaths were becoming shrill, and her lungs were beginning to burn, but she couldn't quit. She still had so much she needed to get done. She needed to be there for Luffy when he became king of the pirates. She needed to map the world and make Bellamere proud. Tears were falling from her eyes, blurring her vision. Not that she could see much through the darkness and rain.

Suddenly, she felt her foot slip on a wet rock beneath her, and she stumbled. To her shock, right when she slipped, one of the dogs had jumped at her and, once again, she was narrowly missed. The beast didn't skip a beat and turned around, charging her. The lightning flashed, revealing the dog's features. Its huge fangs were barred as in sprinted as fast as it could at its prey and its paw scrambled against the wet ground.

Nami began to get up, but was knocked down from another werewolf that had been following from behind. Its force knocked her back to the ground and its claws sank into her back.

The navigator shouted in pain and brought her elbow into the dog's jaw. It yelped and bounced off of her. She wasn't going down without a fight.

The pups surrounded her, and as the lightning flashed she could see their excitedly mad appearances. The largest one took a step towards her and growled, but she didn't know if she should face it in fear of being attacked from behind again. It snapped at her and she jerked in fear, then another wolf jumped from her left. She tried to dodge it, but it managed to catch her arm in its jaws and pulled her to the ground. She let out another scream of pain and tried to pry its fangs from her bleeding arm, but it was futile. The other dogs closed in, and the navigator shut her eyes tightly, fearing what was to come, but the dogs stopped inches from her. Apparently they had gotten a whiff of another scent and they all lifted their heads in curiosity. The girl's eyes widened in surprise as she herd that all too familiar voice from down the road.

"Oi! Nami! Is that you!?"

"LUFFY!!" she screamed partially out of fear, partially out of excitement. He was there, he was actually there! Perhaps she had imagined it. Why would he be here? But there it was again; his voice ringing out across the town.

"Nami! Where are you!? What's wrong?!"

As if to answer his question, one of the dogs let out a howl and a number of them ran off in the direction of his voice.

"Luffy!!" she shouted again as the remaining pups closed in on her. She continued to fight the one holding her down but it was no use. The dog jerked her arm, ripping the flesh open. The navigator screamed in pain.

"They'll kill me Luffy! Hurry!!"

"NAMI!!"

His voice was much closer now and she heard the yelping of dogs from down the road. Her heart overflowed with relief. As long as he was with her, she had nothing to fear. He was her protector, and he would not allow these beasts to kill her.

"DANG MUTTS!!!" he shouted, then she saw the shadow of a dog fly through the air, right at the pack surrounding her. It collided with the group and the others scattered, quite startled.

She saw a light coming rapidly down the road and the dogs all tensed in alert. The one holding her arm began to slowly make its way back, dragging her along with it. She brought up her leg and kicked it with all of her might in the side. It yelped, but didn't release her from its grasp; rather, it returned the attack by ripping its sharp claws across her legs. She winced in pain but continued to struggle with the beast. Looking down the road, she finally saw him. In one hand he held a lamp and in the other was a closed black umbrella. The light reflected against the soaked captain. He was wearing a black hoodie and running at an unnatural speed towards her.

"GOMU GOMU NOO-!!" he shouted.

"Over here Luffy!!" she shouted.

"PISTOL!!!!"

The dog clasping her arm was suddenly blasted away by Luffy's powerful fist and went flying back down the road. The wolves were now all focusing on the intruder in alarm. Some began to howl and some ran at him.

Without missing a beat, Luffy charged at the pack. He kept his umbrella in the same hand as the lamp and used the other to fight off the attacking dogs. Jumping over the ones going for his legs, and ducking under the ones going for his neck he made good time in reaching his navigator. She stood up holding her arm and ran to him.

Luffy embraced her with his free arm and they stood there a moment holding each other tightly. Nami began to sob into his chest and he stood there silently, letting her pour out her overwhelming emotions. His navigator had just had a very traumatic experience and she needed his support. The wolves had retreated for the time being but he figured they would be back.

The captain opened the umbrella and lifted it over the two. They were both already drenched, but he supposed it he'd best try and keep them out of the pelting rain.

"Hey" he whispered "its ok Nami. I'm here. It's all ok."

"I know" she sniffled "I'm just so glad you came for me. Why did you come?"

"Well" he said happily "I figured since it was going to rain, you might need an umbrella."

"Heh" she sniffed again "a lot of good that did."

"Seriously! We're both drenched" he chuckled.

Nami felt Luffy tense. He had heard a noise, but she couldn't hear a thing with the rain pelting the earth the way it was.

"We should go Nami" he said looking down at her.

She let go of him and rubbed her face that was covered with tears and her own snot. Using her sleeve she wiped her nose and looked around. When she could see nothing, she turned her head to see where Luffy was looking. His face was stern and focused as his eyes peered into the darkness.

"Stay close" he said and he wrapped his free arm around her.

"I can take the lamp and the umbrella so you can use both of your arms" she said lifting her hands.

"That'd be great Nami, thanks" he said grinning at her. As he handed her the lamp though, she winced in pain and Luffy spotted her injured arm.

"Nami! You're hurt!"

"It's nothing" she said taking the umbrella.

"Obviously not" he replied stubbornly and he grabbed his sleeve with his teeth, ripping it off of his arm. He twisted the soaked cloth in attempt to dry it off but there wasn't much that could be done. He then gently took Nami's arm, removing the lamp from her hand and placing it on the ground. She could tell he was focused on the close danger around them, but he was still putting great care into not harming her. She held up her arm so he could see it clearly, and slowly he folded back her jacket sleeve. It stung but she remained still, silently biting her lip.

"Stupid dogs" he mumbled as he inspected the wound. The bite was fairly deep but no bones had been broken, to Nami's relief.

Luffy removed the strand of black cloth from his mouth and slowly began wrapping Nami's arm. The navigator was surprised at the gentleness that her captain possessed. She had always seen him destroying something or underestimating his strength, leading to someone getting smacked into, or something being broken, but as he wrapped her arm with his ripped sleeve, he exhibited a tenderness she had never noticed before. Of course, no one could really comprehend what the captain was capable of doing anyways.

Once he had finished wrapping the injury, Luffy tied the cloth into a small knot and pulled it tight. He then bent down and picked up the lamp and put his arm back around his navigator.

"Let's get out of here, shall we?" he said raising the lamp into the air to get a better glimpse of their surrounding. It didn't do them much good.

"We'll, at least we can see the ground" he said halfheartedly.

Nami snickered. "I can take the lamp now. The circumstance hasn't changed and we still need your arms free for battle."

Luffy looked down at her arm and hesitated, but he couldn't deny that he needed both of his arms free incase they were attacked by whatever was out there. He handed her the light and they began to walk down the road under their umbrella to keep them out of the rain.

"Ya know Nami" Luffy said as they trodded along "I usually love the rain, but when it's pouring like this…" he stopped speaking and they both stopped. He had heard something again.

Then the creatures finally revealed themselves. There were loud and rough growls all around them, and Nami could see the beast's glowing eyes in the darkness.

"Finally came out" Luffy said with excitement. "Hang on Nami. I'm gonna take you somewhere safe."

Knowing what he was going to do, she braced herself and grabbed his neck. He then wrapped one of his rubber arms around her waist, and with the other, he stretched his arm up to the roof of one of the taller buildings, and with that, they shot into the air. As they were in mid-air, something unexpected happened. One of the larger werewolves on the ground leapt at them, reaching an unnatural height. It was hard to see in the darkness, but the navigator saw the haunting shadow fly over them and fall down towards the two.

"Luffy! Above us!" she shouted in warning to her captain.

"I see em'" he growled.

The beast's huge fangs flashed against the lamp light as it bore down on them. Luffy jerked Nami behind him, not releasing his grip on her, and thrust his arm up and as the dog fell upon them he brought his fist into the beast's snout. Its nose crumpled under the force of the blow and the dog flew backward, but it had forced Luffy to release the roof and they both fell back down into the waiting pack. Luffy yanked Nami back to his front side and he took a deep breath of air in, expanding his stomach.

"BALLOON!" he shouted as he did this and rather than crashing against the earth, they both bounced off unharmed, scattering the dogs below. He landed on his feet and let Nami go.

"Look's like that wont work" said Luffy readjusting his hat on his head. "What's with these things? They can practically fly!"

"They're not regular beasts Luffy. These are some kind of werewolves and I have no idea what they can do" she replied.

"She's right boy" said a larger shadow from behind the group. "You see-"

"AWESOME!!! THEY CAN TALK!?" Luffy's jaw dropped.

"Luffy! Now is not the time to get amused! We need to get out of here!"

"Yosh!" yelled Luffy with a new excitement. Nami didn't understand how knowing that the creatures could talk would get him so pumped.

"Follow closely Nami. I'll clear out a path ok?" said the captain as he bent down, ready to charge his apponents.

"Ok" she said, scooting closer to him. She didn't know how she would be able to keep up with her energetic captain, but she knew he wouldn't leave her behind.

"NOW!" he shouted, and before she knew it she was following the raven haired boy at top speed into the darkness. He stayed just in view of her as he plowed through the attacking beasts. Apparently the adults had come in for the kill now, and she could see their shadows everywhere. Nami looked behind her to see the pack coming at them from behind.

"Luffy! Their behind us!" she shouted as she jumped over one of the creatures Luffy had already taken down.

"Dang it!" he shouted. "There's so many, and I can hardly see them in this blasted darkness!"

"What can we do?" she yelled as she followed behind him.

"I have an idea!" he replied "duck!"

Nami dropped to the ground.

"WHIP!" he shouted and the surrounding dogs were thrown away for a moment. "Grab on to me Nami!"

She quickly ran to him and, once again, wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Nami, after I do this I need you to grab me and run ok?"

"What!? What are you going to do!?"

"You'll see, GOMU GOMU NOOO" Luffy kicked his leg into the air "STAMP!!"

With that, he slammed his leg down into the ground, as well as using his rubber legs as springs to propel them into the air. They flew up higher than before, and the force of his stamp had scattered the pack below.

Nami felt her stomach curl uncomfortably. She was so high in the air, and they would have to come down somehow. She squeezed her captain tighter and shut her eyes tightly. She felt him tighten his grip on her and saw him bring his thumb to his mouth, then take a deep breath. She heard him say "Gear 3rd" and then bite down on his thumb and blasted the air into his free arm. His arm inflated rapidly and soon became bigger than the two of them together.

"Hang on" he yelled excitedly as he brought the giant arm above him. "GOMU GOMU NOOO!! GIGANT PISTOL!!"

To be continued…

Yay! New update! Please R&R! that's what keeps me going! Thank you so much for reading. I'll try and get more of the story up. Once again! I'm still working on "For Nakama" so don't worry. One I finish this one, I'll get back to work on "The End: Continuation of Scream You're Heart Out."

Do inform me of my mistakes, and I know I made them.


	3. Wound

Wounds

The force of Luffy's thrust hit Nami as the huge fist flew by them, and she was once again reminded of her captain's fierce strength. However, she had never seen him go into his gear 3rd, she had only heard the stories told after the battle and she had to admit she was impressed with it. It was amazing what he could do with just rubber.

The earth beneath them was crushed and rocks flew in every direction, then they hovered there for a moment as Luffy slowly pumped the air from his arm into his chest. Once his chest had swollen to a monstrous size, they began to drop and he put his two arms around her. She felt like she was about to puke as they fell at the incredible height, but was not afraid.

They smashed to the ground beneath, but once again Nami bounced off unharmed. Luffy released the air from his chest out of his mouth and shrunk down to his usual size. The lamp that he had brought was miraculously still in tact and the light remained lit inside of it despite the drop. Nami lifted the lamp and her eyes widened in shock as she saw her captain shrink down till he was only two feet tall.

"What on earth?" she asked aloud.

"We've gotta get out of here" he said standing and wiping the mud off of himself.

Nami nodded, grabbed him by his collar, and dashed off, once again, into the inscrutable darkness.

"Why are you like this Luffy!?" Nami yelled as she ran.

"Don't worry. It'll only last as long as I was in Gear 3rd, which was just a few seconds."

Nami let out a sigh of relief but once again she heard the pursuers behind them close in.

"How many of these things are there!?" Luffy shouted in agitation.

"My gear third hardly did anything to their numbers!"

"No idea" Nami panted. "I'm sure there's a bunch if everyone in this town is one of them."

"You mean these creatures live here?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"I believe so" she replied.

"INCOMING!" Luffy shouted as a large dog pounced at them.

"TOSS ME AT IT NAMI!!!"

"WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

"NO! JUST DO IT!"

Nami had learned long ago not to doubt her captain, so in mid-run she hurled her chibi captain at the incoming wolf. As he flew through the air she saw him pop back into his regular size, than he was gone. She had the only light, and as she left him behind she could see him no more. The navigator heard Luffy grunt then he shouted his gomu gomu no attack and a yelp was heard from the beast that had leapt at them.

The rain drowned out all other noises quieter than the bark of a dog, but the sound of splashes could be heard, along with Luffy's yells and dogs barking. Apparently the dogs had focused their attention on her captain and she was left unnoticed. Noticing this, she began to search for a good place for them to rest. They wouldn't be able to make it back to the sunny without a rest. At least she wouldn't.

Lifting the lamp, she spotted what she was looking for. A vent, apparently that led to a sewer system beneath them. As long as they could get in there unnoticed, the rain would hide their cent and they would be safe for a while. Now how could she tell Luffy if the others could understand what she was saying? She had to do something to distract the werewolves for just a split second till they were hidden. The navigator reached into her backpack and felt around for something, anything. What had she packed before she left that would be of use to them?

She had a hairbrush, some makeup (why'd I bring that? I'm not trying to impress anyone here), her money (surely that wouldn't be needed), and… AHAH! She felt her perfume she had thrown in there before she left.

With that she dumped the useless things (not counting the money) to the ground, then readied herself for the escape.

"Luffy!! Get over here!"

"Right!" he replied from the darkness.

Right when she saw him enter the lights glow, and was sure that he had seen her she shoved the lamp into the backpack and the light vanished. She then threw her junk as far as she could from their location, and then flung the perfume separately so it would go further. The noise was loud enough to be heard over the rain and she quickly reached for Luffy. She caught his arm and dashed for the manhole. Everything seemed to move slowly but smoothly as she heard the dogs dash at the strong scent and the clattering noise, while she quietly opened the manhole and closed it behind her, pulling Luffy behind her.

They fell a couple feet before hitting the sodden floor of the sewer. Nami held tightly to the backpack for fear that the lamp would break and the whole thing would go up in flames. Once again though, the light remained unbroken through the rough fall.

She could hear Luffy trying to control his breathing to keep quiet, but she could tell it was difficult for him. She felt around for his hand and took it in her own. He squeezed it tightly as they listened to the dogs above them rushing around in a frenzy. They had lost their prey and wouldn't stop searching till it had been found.

The two sat there in the darkness till the sound of the beast's claws could no longer be heard skidding across the earth above them.

Luffy was the first to make a sound when he commenced in taking short and harsh breaths to make up for the lost air he had held in silence. He leaned his head back against the walls of the sewer and began to control his breathing again.

"You ok?" Nami whispered, letting go of his hand.

"Yeah" he panted.

"Good" he sighed "we need to follow the sewer. It should lead us to the sea, but I'm a little confused that they actually built a sewer system. They're beasts."

"Well" Luffy grunted "their pee has to go somewhere…"

Nami snickered. He had a point, and they were kind of humans.

"Whatever the case" she said "we've got to move before they discover where we've been hiding. We can at least make good time down here without their hindrance."

"Yeah, but it sure reeks. I bet right now we're sitting in their-"

"Let's just get moving."

Nami stood up and placed the backpack carefully in her arms. The lamp let out a warm glow from the bag, but it wouldn't direct the attention of a dog passing above them. She began to walk quietly down the tunnel when she realized Luffy hadn't even gotten up yet.

"You comin' Luffy?"

"Yeah" he mumbled "it's just that all this water is slowin' me down."

"Well, we don't have much time so" she walked over to him and reached out for his hand. He took it and she pulled him up.

"Thanks"

The two made their way slowly down the sewer, and Nami could hear Luffy's irregular breathing behind her. Was it really just the rain that was weakening him, or was it something else? They would find out once they got back to Chopper, and she was sure they were getting closer and closer every step they took. She just hoped Luffy could make it back without straining himself too much.

Then her worries became reality when she heard her captain stumble and fall behind her.

"Luffy" she gasped, but was sure not to make too much noise, knowing that they apparently no longer had Luffy's strength to fight off the beasts.

"That's odd" he as he pushed himself up with his arms.

"Hang on Luffy" Nami said as she knelt down beside him and helped him lean up.

"Thanks Nami" he said smiling. She could see his face as the small glow of the light hit it and his grin made the cold wet night warm.

She assisted him over to the side of the tunnel and leaned him up against the wall. Luffy let out a sigh and caught his breath.

"Luffy, let me check that. I refuse to believe that it's just the rain that's causing you trouble."

The captain didn't argue as she knelt down beside him and slowly opened the backpack. The light grew brighter as she pulled back the flap, but she was sure not to let it get to bright, knowing that even a hint of light that could be seen from the surface would put them in grave danger.

At first she couldn't see anything wrong and supposed that it could have just been the rain, but as she looked down she saw blotches of red on the boy's pants. Then, as she looked closer, she realized that his black hoodie was covered with more than just rain water. It shimmered brightly against the reflection of the lamp and as she reached down and touched it, she felt the warm blood against her hand.

"Luffy" she gasped "your hurt."

He looked down "oh this? It's nothing much. Some stupid dog got a hold of me before I could grow to my full height, but it's really ok."

"Like heck it is" she growled as she grabbed his hoodie and pulled it up.

"Oi, what are you doing?" Luffy asked in alarm.

"I'm checking your wound" she answered, and Luffy winced in pain as she pulled it over his head. "Since you clearly can't tell me straight forward what shape you're in, I'll have to see for myself."

Underneath his black hoodie, Luffy wore his usual red vest, and she could clearly see that it had been ripped into by the fangs of one of the wolves on the surface. She opened his vest to reveal a huge bite that covered the boy's entire left side.

She covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes. Why hadn't he said anything? He could have bled to death.

"Luffy, we need to get this wrapped up or you won't have a drop of blood left in you. This isn't just a scratch you baka."

"Oh come on Nami, you know I've had much worse than this. I'll be fine."

"Obviously not" she growled as she tried to think of what she could use to bandage the raven haired boy's injuries.

"You can use my hoodie if you want" said Luffy as he lifted it, handing it to her.

"But don't you need it?" she asked in concern.

"Nah, it's like wearing ice anyway."

Nami nodded and took the black hoodie from her captain. She used her teeth to rip the cloth and laid it on her lap strand by strand. She found the holes where the dog had bitten into him, and avoided using those sections not wanting to touch the blood drenched fabric.

Once she had shredded the hoodie into strips, she told Luffy to take off his vest while she patched up the wound. He did so, wincing in pain as he moved his arms. The light glowed between the two, showing Nami where to wrap Luffy's side. First she would need to clean out the wound, and she wondered what she could use to do this? Then it hit her that while she had used every bit of Luffy's hoodie for their injuries, she hadn't even thought to use her own jacket.

"How selfish of me" she said aloud as she unzipped her jacket. Underneath, she wore a long-sleeved shirt with black and white stripes on it. The navigator twisted the jacket to dry it off, the bundled it up in her hand.

Luffy didn't say a word as she began to wipe the gashes with her bunched up jacket. He raised his arm up so she could see what she was doing and looked away.

"Heh, seems we both end up patching each other up in the end" he said with a bit of humor in his voice.

"Thanks Nami."

The navigator was silent. How could he be thanking her? It was her fault this happened to him, and he was thanking her!

Once she had cleaned off the injury, she wrapped it up with the cloth. Then, when she was done with that, Luffy put his jacket back on and Nami helped him up. He used her for support and they continued down the sewer.

She could tell he was trying not to put too much of his weight on her but every few steps he would stumble a bit and she would catch him.

Suddenly, there was a sound of running feet above them and they stopped; holding their breath so they wouldn't be heard.

"Nami" Luffy whispered "they're down here."

To be continued…

YAY! New updates! Thanks so much for the support and the reviews! Like I always say, that's why I write these. Please Review! ONCE AGAIN! I AM STILL WORKING ON "For Nakama" I just wanna finish this one up first.


	4. Garth

Garth

"What!?" Nami managed to yell in a whisper.

"Their coming this way, and fast; we need to get to the surface."

With that, he wrapped his arm around her once again and stretched the other one up to the opening above them. Then she heard what Luffy had just mentioned. There was the sound of claws scraping against the floor of the sewer and the heavy breathing she had heard before. They sprung up to the surface just in time, and she could practically feel the dog's fur brush against her legs.

Immediately when they re-entered the fresh air they were hit head on by another charging pack of werewolves. Apparently the dogs hadn't expected the two to pop up in front of them so they collided and the two, along with a surprised werewolf, skidded across the ground. Luffy growled.

"Back into the rain again" he said as he shivered in cold.

Nami began to take the lamp from the backpack but Luffy raised his hand to stop her.

"We need to let our eyes adjust to the darkness and not depend on this light Nami. It can only go so far, and I can't protect you if I'm fighting three feet from you."

Nami nodded, he was right, but she wondered how he could fight if he could hardly walk. Of course, she remembered what the king of Alabasta had said; talking of how Luffy defeated Crocodile with that gaping hole in his stomach and the poison that had infected him, but if they only had bandaged his wounds earlier, he wouldn't have bled so much.

"Don't worry Nami" Luffy said and Nami looked up in surprise. Was the fact that she was worried so obvious? She suddenly felt ashamed that she didn't believe in her captain after all they had been through. Hadn't he proved to her by now that she could trust in him?

"I'm sorry Luffy. I believe in you."

"Yosh, that's my navigator!" he said, and though she could barely see his face in the darkness, it was obvious he was grinning that huge grin on his face.

With that, they were back in action. The dogs went crazy once they realized that their prey was right in front of them and they all attacked at once.

"Nami! Duck!"

Once again, Nami dropped to her knees and Luffy used his leg as a whip to take out the majority of the beasts surrounding them. It was a quick and easy way too be rid of a large group of attackers.

Several of the dogs had ducked when they heard Luffy give Nami the order, and they were quick to take advantage of this moment that he couldn't move. However, even the clever ones were caught off guard at Luffy's ability to re-habilitate from his attack. He quickly swung his fist around and smashed them out of the way. The captain fell to the ground but most of the dogs kept their distance for fear of being pulverized like their fellow werewolves.

Luffy pushed himself up with his arms, then brought himself back to his feet, swaying a bit. Two or Three more beasts tried to attack the captain, but all attempts to harm him or the orange haired navigator were futile and soon the dogs had backed away, keeping their distance.

"Way to go Luffy" Nami said as she ran over to him with the umbrella, knowing that the rain would weaken him further.

"Thanks Nami" he said keeping his eyes on the dogs surrounding them. "Let's get out of here."

With that, the two returned on their way through the darkness. The wolves backed out of the way and a few ran off.

'Thank heavens' Nami thought as they made their way without delay down the road.

The two walked side by side as the captain leaned on his navigator for support. She held the umbrella and kept the lamp in her backpack. It was annoyingly hot against her back, but it was the only warmth against the bitter cold. Besides, she had no where else to put it where it could be kept unseen.

She figured that Luffy was exhausted, and didn't bother to look over at him. His breathing was rasped and she felt him weighing down on her a bit more than he had when they had been in the sewer. He was weakening.

"Leader" cried one of the wolves as they ran up to a monstrous shadow lying on a mass of furs "there has been quite a ruckus in the streets tonight and we were wondering if you wanted to get in on the excitement."

"Ruckus you say?" asked the beast as it raised itself to all fours. "What on earth is going on?"

"Humans sir. One, a boy, is a devil fruit user but there's a lady that seems to only be good at running. She would be fine prey but the boy is quite a fighter and, so far, he's managed to keep the pack off of them both."

"A devil fruit user ay? Sounds like fun. Lead me to them." And with that it made its way to the door, following the smaller dog.

They had run quite a ways when Nami finally spotted the silhouette of the Thousand Sunny's shadow against the dark sky. It was near impossible to see, but her eyes had had a while to adjust to the darkness. She was worn out, and carrying Luffy while she was running was no small task. Despite his efforts to carry his own weight and they both knew he needed to conserve his energy in case they were attacked again by the wolf pack following them.

"Luffy, I think I see the Thousand Sunny" she said looking over at him.

"S'that so? Sweet! Then we can go get your arm checked out. It must stink carting me around like this with that injury, and it could be infected if those… AHH! YOU COULD HAVE RABIES!! OR…OR… YOU MIGHT BECOME" his voice went down to a whisper "you might become one of THEM."

The navigator looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow. Was he picking fun at a time like this or was he really serious?

"Luffy, stuff like that only happens in stories. Besides, it's not a full moon tonight."

They both looked up. Neither the moon, nor the stars, could be seen through the dark clouds and rain.

"Err, well, even if it was, its still illogical."

"Well you two seem pretty calm considering the situation" came a deep voice behind them. They both turned to see who was bothering to speak to them. Their jaws dropped in sequence as their eyes followed the werewolf's body up to where they figured his head was. The beast stood at a remarkable height of 15 feet and its shoulders were as broad as Luffy was tall. Its eyes glowed brighter than the others and it stood on its two legs rather than all fours.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked in a somber tone.

"The names Garth; I'm in charge around here."

"Aa" Luffy grunted in acknowledgement "then why don't you tell your pups to get off our case so we can get back to our nakama?"

The wolf chuckled. "I don't think you understand boy. You will not escape from this town and you will never see your nakama again."

"Well, it seems you're as mindless as the rest of your pack" Luffy said plainly and removed his arm from Nami to stand on his own weight. "So, since you're the leader, if I kick your butt your dogs will leave us alone?"

"You should learn not to underestimate your opponent" Garth growled as he went down to all fours. "I suppose you'll learn soon enough."

"To make this an honest match, would you tell your mutts to keep their paws off of my Navigator until this battle is over? It would be distracting if I had to fight them off as well."

Garth let out a low grunt "very well. I would hate to have you distracted during our battle. I promise your lady will be unharmed until the end of our fight."

The dogs backed away and a few sat down to watch the match.

"Nami, run" the captain said as he adjusted the hat on his head.

"What!? I won't leave you Luffy!"

"Nami" he said calmly "I need you to go get the others. Can you do that for me?"

Her eyes widened. Was Luffy sending her for backup?

"Luffy…"

"Hey, who said she could just run off!?" the werewolf barked.

"You never said she couldn't, and since I'm her captain, I can tell her to do what I want" the captain responded coolly.

Garth grunted, puffing his hot breath into the air. Then, with amazing speed, he dashed at the boy.

"Go!" Luffy yelled as he charged head on at the beast.

Nami didn't hesitate to spin on her heel and dash away from the two. 'Please keep him safe' she prayed silently 'and give me the speed I need to get to the others quickly.'

Rather than attacking the wolf, Luffy ducked underneath him right before he sent his claws into the scrawny captain. The boy caught himself with his hands and stumbled a couple feet away from Garth. The beast skidded on the wet ground, but was quick to slip around and charge him again. Luffy was sure he was done for, for all the monster had to do was open its jaws and it could have snatched him in its fangs, but instead of biting him, it grabbed at him with its claws. The boy curved his body to avoid the razor like weapons on the dog's paw, and then brought his fist towards its long nose. The creature thrust its head back just in time and he missed it by a hair.

They both landed on the ground and Luffy dropped to one knee. He was already exhausted from just that, but he couldn't stop now. Not while Nami still had a chance to escape. He just had to keep the battle going till the crew returned, for then he could be sure that she was ok, but that blasted rain just kept falling and falling.

"Dang" he muttered to himself.

"What's that boy? We're just getting started" said Garth as he dashed, once again, at the captain who brought himself back to his feet. Luffy swung his arm back. "Gomu Gomu NOOO-"

"What's this?" asked the werewolf. "Will you be introducing your devil fruit to me?"

As Luffy's arm stretched behind him, he took his other one and began to spin it like a windmill.

"Woo, your arm stretched!"

"RIFLE!!" he shouted as his arm twisted around and shot if forward.

Garth leapt into the air and narrowly dodged the attack, however, the boy's other arm, which was still in full spin, was thrust' upward into his stomach.

The dog yelped and flailed in the air. They both fell on all fours, and the beast was furious.

"Heh" Luffy chuckled wiping his mouth. "You like that mutt?"

"You don't know what your in for boy" it replied and they both, once again, returned to their feet.

YAY FOR UPDATES! Thanks for reading. Do review. I haven't been working on "For Nakama" lately, but once I finish this one I will get right back on it. I'm almost done writing this, so do be patient and trust me to update . Thanks.


	5. Zoan

Zoan

The dog was the first to attack, once again, and Luffy brought his fist back. Right when they were about to collide, Luffy once again, swung his fist powerfully back behind him. As the fist made it way to the dogs face, something unexpected happened. The werewolf transformed in mid air into a wolf, shrinking in size as he did so, causing Luffy's fist to fly over him.

After this, the captain was wide open, and the wolf threw its claws forward. Luffy tried to jump back in time, but the attack couldn't be fully dodged. Luckily, the beast's form caused its paws to be smaller than before and it only ripped a bit of his stomach. However, this caused the bandages to rip apart, re-opening the boy's wounds. Luffy shouted out in pain, then slammed his palms into the dog's shoulders, throwing him backwards.

They skidded away from each other and Luffy grabbed his side as the blood began to flow freely again.

"Dang" he muttered, trying to re-wrap the hoodie around his injuries to keep them covered, but it was pretty much in shreds.

"You got lucky Mugiwara. Had I been in another form, you would have been impaled. Oh well, we have plenty of time. You'll be dead soon enough."

"I see that you're a Zoan type devil fruit user" Luffy said as he slowly raised himself to his full height. "I've fought your kind before, so I can assume what your forms are already. What I don't understand though, is why all these other humans can transform as well. Can't the devil fruit only affect one being? "

"I'll be sure to tell you before you die boy, but for now, quit stalling. I know you're just postponing your demise. So enough with the small talk; let's continue." And with that, he transformed into a larger form, but not quite as huge as his first appearance. His paws began to grow, and with them, his claws.

Luffy gulped and took a step backwards, keeping his hand over his wound.

"Here I come" Garth shouted in amusement and dashed at the captain once again. His eyes glowed wildly as he ran at an amazing speed, this time, circling around the captain who kept a wary eye on the beast. It leapt into the air, higher than the other wolves could reach and shot itself down at an unexpected velocity. Luffy barely jumped out of the way in time, then had to jump back again as the creature swung its long arms at his bleeding abdomen.

The two dashed around in the darkness, soaked by the pouring rain. The other wolves watched in awe at the pace of the battle. They could hardly see the two as they sped through the streets. The boy was mainly dodging the dog's attacks, and the beast was not letting up. In fact, the more it missed the captain, the more temperamental it became, causing it to increase its velocity.

The navigator hadn't even gotten out of the town despite the fact that she had worn her legs to their limits running. She had started out sprinting, but after a few minutes of that she felt like she would puke so she slowed to a jog. Seeing the ship had given her hope, but now it was evidently still quite a ways away.

"Dang it!" she shouted. How could she expect Luffy to last this long? For her to get there would take some time; None the less bringing back the crew. His only hope would be to win the fight, but in his condition she wondered it he could.

The two combatants were having at one another royally, clashing every few seconds, and then shooting away from one another. One could hardly tell that the boy was slowing in his pace, but both he and Garth knew that his rate of speed could mean life or death.

Suddenly, they both stopped; both panting horribly. They had read each others movements so they understood when they both were to take a moment to catch their breaths. Luffy knew he needed it more than the werewolf and was relieved that it had respected his need to rest. He had to do something though, and the best thing he could think of could only be done now.

He spread his legs apart and placed his fist on the ground.

"Gear 2nd" he said through panting; and with that he pumped his blood into his legs, then forced it up into his chest. Steam began to seep from his body and his skin turned a dark pink.

"What's this? You have something up your sleeve Strawhat?" asked the wolf, obviously amused by the boy's strange actions.

"I'm taking my abilities to the next level so I can protect the ones I care about" said Luffy dripping with a mixture of sweat and rain water.

"Don't you mean the ONE you care about?" Garth asked, a bit of humor in his voice.

Luffy blushed a bit.

"I dunno boy, she seems to mean quite a bit to you. For you to throw your life away for her sake makes it obvious that there's more to your relationship than just a crew member."

"I would risk my life for any one in my crew. They are my nakama and are worth more to me than this world could offer."

"How noble, but it's a real pity that you will loose your life when it's worth far more than those you protect."

"I never said I was gonna loose you overgrown mutt" Luffy said sternly, and then he practically vanished from sight.

The pups watching from the side jumped in surprise. They hadn't expected him to shoot of like that.

Garth tensed and went down on all fours, his fastest form. Suddenly, he was smashed from the side with an unexpectedly powerful blow. Skidding a few yards, he caught himself with the soles of his feet and began to search for where the next attack would be coming from.

He was hit again, this time from above, smashing him into the ground. The wolf coughed up blood and its eyes widened in pain as it was crushed under the captain's powerful blow.

Then he spotted him. The boy was making a dash to his right and he jerked out of the way right before he was hit again. The road was broken to bits under the captain's blow, and for a moment, neither of the two could be seen. Then they clashed, and the force of the impact nearly blew the watching dogs away.

As they stood there having a power struggle against each other, the larger of the two looked down at Luffy cruelly.

"I've seen through your trick, and must admit, it's quite impressive. However, you seem to be slowing boy, and I think I know why."

Luffy glared at him as he continued.

"Since you use the rate that your blood is pumped through your body to your advantage, you are capable of reaching inhuman speeds, but there's one problem with this gear 2 of yours. You need blood, but since I re-opened your wound, the more you run, the faster it flows, and the faster it flows, the faster it leaves your body. So now, you're running out of blood, and can't use your advancement to its potential."

Luffy let out a shout and threw the dog away from him, winning the power struggle.

"I've battled a Zoan with far more strength than you" said Luffy sternly.

The werewolf returned to all fours after he had been thrown by the captain and his face revealed a cruel snarl. He then ran at the boy, who vanished again. However, the dog skidded to a stop and cut to the side, thrusting a long arm out at an invisible opponent.

At this moment, the wolves watching the battle caught a glimpse of the captain as he caught himself on the ground and dodged just in time. Sparks shot out as its claws scraped the ground and water shot up as the wolf made an incredible dash straight at the hindered opponent.

Luffy turned his body, barely missing the deadly attack, but was forced to raise his arm in defense as the beast swung its other arm around. The razor sharp claws left four huge gashes across the boy's forearms and he shouted in pain, grabbing his arm. He had no time to dwell on it though, for the wolf wasn't done yet. It was coming back with its other arm, ready to slash his chest wide open.

The captain managed to dash away before he was minced to pieces.

"Whew! That was close!"

Luffy was panting heavily, but once again, Garth gave him no time to rest. He leapt at him once again, and Luffy slipped on the water covering the ground. The whole street had been flooded and water rushed like a river all round them. He fell on his butt and quickly rolled away from the attacking beast who splashed into the large puddles covering the earth.

It slipped as well as it tried to make a quick cut for him, but quickly regained its balance. Luffy, however, had already taken advantage of the dog's error and began to pound him with his Gatling Gun. It was blasted across the road into a building, breaking the walls in as it went.

Luffy dropped to his knees. He prayed that that had finished the beast off, for he didn't know if he could keep this up. Water was everywhere; it was all over him, it was all over the road, and it poured mercilessly from the sky upon them. He felt like his energy had been drained out of him, and he knew he had already lost too much blood.

To be continued…

YAY! UPDATE! Merry Christmas! And as a gift to you, I am going to be updating this story tomorrow as well. The updates should be faster now that I'm almost done writing this thing. THANKYOU ALL FOR READING! Please R&R for me, it really helps.


	6. Nami's Return

Nami's Return

He was far from relief however, for the enraged beast came flying from the rubble at an even faster speed. Luffy jumped back and attempted to make a dash around the dog, but upon his first step back, the steam quit emitting from his body and gear 2 left him. The duel was decided by this one short moment, as the captain stumbled back in shock and Garth shoved his huge claws at the defenseless boy.

For a moment Luffy wondered what had happened as he stared into the glowing eyes of his opponent. Then his eyes moved from the wolf's face, to its shoulders, down its wide arms till they reached its enormous hand where its claws seemed to be non-existent. Then it all came together as he felt his blood in his mouth and a horrible pain in his side. The claws had not vanished, but were inside him, each one between his ribs. He let out a gasp of pain as he coughed up his blood and began to slip to his knees, but as he looked back at the werewolf's face, a cruel grin was proof enough that Garth wasn't through with him yet.

Time seemed to return as the wolf curled around him and violently yanked the claws around Luffy's stomach. The boy let out a scream of pain as he felt the flesh between his ribs tear from his side. His head jolted back and he turned his face to the sky and his glazed eyes seemed to be searching for something as he finally fell to the drenched earth. Garth took a few paces before turning back to his prey. He knew that the boy wouldn't be running off any time soon. The dog panted heavily as it recovered from the previous attack he had been pounded with, and then he returned to the captain who lay gasping for breath in a puddle.

"You put up one heck of a fight boy, but it's clear who turned out to be the victor."

The wolf dragged Luffy out of the puddle and the boy tried to push himself up.

"I… It's not over yet" he gasped but the dog pushed him back to the ground with its massive paws.

"Dang it" Luffy growled as he continued to struggle against the beast's immense weight, but it was a hopeless battle. The movement caused his side to seer with pain and he let out another scream of both pain and aggravation. He couldn't loose here. What if Nami hadn't made it to the ship yet? How would he know? His crew needed him to lead them to their dreams. How could he do that if he was to be eaten by these mutts?

"Stop struggling boy. I agreed to tell you how this pack was formed, and I suppose now would be the best time, since you're about to die anyway."

Garth looked over at the smaller dogs who were drooling all over themselves as they stared at the boy on the ground. They were growing impatient to taste the interesting being before them and it was clear to see.

"Ah fine, you guys can have a taste, but be sure not to harm his flesh. I will be the one to have the first bite."

Luffy growled and tried, once again, to free himself from the beast's weight but was held firm.

"Dang it… Dang it!" he gasped, writhing hopelessly on the soaked earth.

Nami had heard Luffy's shout and skidded to a stop, panting heavily. She turned back to where she had been running from, but all she could see was the dark street. The ship was so close, but her captain wouldn't last is she was to get the crew and run all the way back to him. Even now she wondered if it was too late.

Then as she turned her head, she saw something that gave her a thought. To her left was, apparently, the butchery and right beside it was, what seemed to be, a restaurant. She supposed that since these were also humans, why wouldn't they fix their meals differently?

"What a weird place…"

She rushed in, knowing there wasn't much time, but she knew what she needed. It was a relief to get out of the rain, but the room was dark and cold. She had to admit she was frightened. Without Luffy by her side, things seemed less practical and more frightening. Every shadow in the room seemed to be hiding some horrid beast, just waiting in his shop to kill an unexpecting human to come walking in.

For a moment Nami stopped in fear, but remembered the situation that she was in. If she didn't get what she needed soon, it would be too late, and Luffy would die. With this new way of thinking, Nami pulled the light from her backpack and began to search for the kitchen.

Luffy watched as the wolves made their way over to him.

"Don't worry boy, you'll be eaten soon enough, but for now I'll go ahead and tell you how I transformed this town to what it is today. Heh, this will be the first time I get to tell my story to someone from the outside; you should be happy."

Luffy continued to watch the wolves coming around him as some began to drop their heads to lick the ground. For a moment he watched in confusion, then it clicked, they were licking up his blood. His eyes widened in shock as it hit him; what was really about to happen to him. He wasn't going to just be defeated. He was going to be eaten alive.

'Nami… Please hurry' he thought to himself as he turned his head to look up at his captor.

"Hmm, where should I start?" asked the wolf cocking his head.

"Well, this town used to be like any other town in the grand line; that is, until I stumbled upon the Were-Were fruit. I had been wondering in the forest, found it, then ate it, as you can see. I'm sure you've already guessed that though, what's curious about this town is that everyone transforms here. You see, I learned a technique that I could use with this Zoan type. I found a way to spread my powers to others through my teeth. That's why I didn't bite you earlier. It would have ruined all my fun. You see, every time I bite someone, the ghost from the fruit separates and seeps into my victims. If I had bitten you, I believe that the two ghosts would cancel out one another, killing you instantly. Of course, I'm curious to see what would happen, and now seems like the best time to try it out. Whadya say boy?"

Luffy scowled at him then he returned his eyes to the wolves surrounding him. They had already lapped up all of the blood on the ground and were inches from his wound. Then, to his shock, they began to lick up his wounds from the earlier bite and where he had been ripped at by Garth's claws.

He gasped in pain as their rough tongues rubbed against the deep injuries, and soon they had become quite crowded; every dog wanting a taste. He hated being helpless, but would not let them see fear in him. They were just mutts, and he was to be the pirate king.

"Lets see how you taste boy" whispered Garth, lowering his snout next to Luffy's ear. Luffy's face remained haughty as he glared at the wolf.

"I guess once you're dead that the girl will be free game."

Luffy spit into the dog's face, "She's not one you want to mess with mutt. She kicks my butt every day" Luffy said confidently, then let out another gasp as the dogs continued to lick his injuries. Once the blood had been cleared from his abdomen, one could see that the flesh had been ripped clean from his side and his ribs could be clearly seen.

"Good to hear it; perhaps she'll be even more exciting than you were" said Garth as he opened his jaws over Luffy's shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a bright light above them coming from a roof to their left.

"Hold it right there!" came the voice of the navigator and everyone turned their heads to see what on earth she was doing.

There atop the building stood Nami with the lamp held high in the air. In one hand, she held the light, in the other; she held the head of a monstrous amphel that apparently had been stuffed as a trophy.

"Listen carefully!" she shouted "I've covered this head with gasoline and if you even think about attacking me I'll smash this lamp into it and it will burst into flames!"

The head was a fine prize. The horns were so huge, she had to leave the head on the ground and hold the horns to keep it balanced. They alone rose to 10 feet in the air.

"Silly cat" chuckled Garth "I told you we prized our trophies, but not that much. You should have done as your captain had told you and run to get your friends. Now you've sealed both his fate and your own. Prepare to die."

The dogs began to move away from the captain and make their way toward Nami, but she was quick to retort. "That would seem to be the case, however, there's more at stake than just your prize!"

The pack stopped, a bit confused.

"You surprised me Luffy" she said before continuing "I really thought you would have scolded me about coming back, but it seems that you're in no shape to be yelling at anyone right now."

Luffy let out a rough chuckle, for it was all he could do to show her he acknowledged her presence.

She frowned; he didn't look too good.

"LISTEN UP!" she shouted "I have covered this roof with gasoline, as well as this head. So if you don't want to have a fire on your hands, I'd recommend stepping away from my captain."

"Foolish girl, its just one building; do you really think we'd let that stop us?"

"No, that's why I've been sure to spread the gasoline all across these buildings on my way back. So no, its not."

Garth growled and stepped off of the boy, who didn't move from his spot.

"Don't think you'll get very far girl. Once you leave the building, we'll get what we want."

Nami frowned. He had a good point. Luckily, she had a small backup plan.

"Luffy! I brought something you might like!"

He turned his head towards her, his eyes were glazed over and blood could be seen coming out of his mouth. It hurt her to see him like this.

"Here!" and with that, she picked up a huge amphel leg, that apparently had been previously cooked, and threw it on ground below.

"Eat it Luffy! It'll help you regain your strength (I guess)."

"Th… thanks Nami" he gasped out, trying to pull himself towards the leg, but just turning over seemed almost impossible.

"You there!" she shouted at one of the pups "take the leg to him!"

For a moment they just stood there, but as she raised the lamp threateningly over the head and it jumped to get the meat. The wolf looked up at Garth before dropping it into the boy's hand. Luffy slowly brought himself to his elbows and began to devour the meat like he hadn't eaten it years.

To be continued…

MERRY CHRISTMAS !! There… yay for updates! But more importantly, THANKS FOR READING! And reviewing. That would be a nice present to me. My Christmas was swell! I was thinking about doing a Christmas Oneshot… but you know how my oneshots turn out. (this was supposed to be a oneshot). Thanks again, I'll update soon hopefully!


	7. Chapter 7

No one spoke as the boy viciously tore into the leg and they remained silent after he had finished.

"Yosh, thanks Nami" said Luffy, breaking the silence. He had regained enough strength to speak again, and was soon able to rise to his feet. This, to his surprise, was a lot harder than he had thought it would be. He figured once he had meat in his body we would have been good as new, but he shook on his feet from the lack of strength. Despite this, no one would have believed that the injured boy would return to his feet so soon unless they had seen it with their own eyes.

"Oi, Nami, where are the others?"

"There wasn't time. You would have been dead before I got back and you know it."

"Baka! You could have been killed!"

"Well I wasn't, so shut it!"

Garth growled angrily, clearly bothered by having to stand down as they carried on a conversation. Luffy was panting heavily after he had made such an effort to stand, but he knew that he had to at least appear back to his old self so they might keep their distance.

Suddenly, Garth began to walk towards him and every eye turned towards him.

"What do you think your doing!!?" Nami shouted angrily.

"I've done nothing… yet. Don't you realize you're in just as much of a jam as we are? If you dare break that lamp, we will come at you with no mercy, and tear you apart piece by piece."

"Like I'd let you do that" Luffy growled, looking over at him angrily.

"You're no longer a threat to me boy. You may look as good as new, but there's no way you had such a miraculous recovery by just eating meat."

"You'd be surprised" he mumbled as he watched the dog circle around him. He also noticed that it was walking closer to Nami as it did so. They both kept their eyes locked on each other as everything but the pouring rain was silent. The smaller dogs were becoming restless and excited now that they saw that their leader seemed to be in control again.

Then the offensive was finally taken as Garth made a quick cut away from Luffy, leaping right for Nami, who screamed, then crashed the lamp against the head, igniting it immediately.

Unlike before, when Luffy had been injured, things seemed to speed up and it appeared that right as Garth had jumped at Nami; Luffy had thrust his arm forward, grabbing the dog by its hind leg and yanking it back down to the earth. There was a huge crash and stones flew up in every direction. Chaos erupted as the building burst into flames and the dogs ran at the boy in the center of the road.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted, fearing that she had been caught in the blaze.

"I'm ok Luffy!" he heard her shout from somewhere, but he couldn't tell where her voice was coming from. His attention was hindered as he noticed the mob of wolves running at him and he bent into a defensive stance.

"I SAID NOT TO HARM HIM TILL I WAS FINISHED!" came Garth's enraged voice as he made his way from the rubble. The dogs skidded to a stop, then rushed away till they were at a safe distance.

"I'm gonna kill you boy" he said shaking off the small rocks caught in his fur.

Luffy was grateful for the fire. He could now see his opponent clearly and it was nice to have the warmth after being soaked in freezing cold rain.

It felt like dejavu' as the wolf dashed at him once more, and he just managed to jump out of the way before he was bitten in half.

'Those eyes' he thought as he noticed the expression he had seen so many times earlier. Just like when he'd fought Arlong and the sea king; its eyes had changed. He could no longer look upon his opponent as part human, part beast. It had now become pure animal, with nothing but its savage instincts. In some ways this was a good thing, but he also knew that there would be no moral rules in this battle. There was no cheating, just raw violence, but he had dealt with these kinds before.

Garth flew by him, then stopped early by catching himself on his paws and swung around, hitting Luffy in the face with his long tail. Luffy dropped to the ground before the huge claws could catch him in the throat and once again managed a narrow dodge.

The dog let out an enraged growl and twisted violently in the air to get in another attack. Luffy dashed away, fearing that he wouldn't be able to dodge another blow at such a close range.

The beast dropped to its fours and took a few steps looking over at the captain. Then something caught both of their attention. Out of an alley a couple yards away, stumbled Nami. She had some burn marks on her arms and legs, but beside that, she was ok. Luffy let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're ok Nami" he said as he returned his gaze to the wolf in front of him.

"YOU!" the dog barked angrily. "You're the reason all this has happened!! I'll kill you!" It then took an amazing leap at the navigator who screamed. She had thought that they would continue fighting and ignore her, and just wanted to let Luffy know she was ok. Covering her head with her arms and shutting her eyes tightly she prepared herself for what was coming.

"LIKE ID LET YOU DO THAT!" she heard Luffy shout and opened her eyes. Garth was right on her, but as she looked into the sky above him, she saw her captain's dark silhouette hovering over them. The dog's eyes widened in shock as it realized that the boy was above him and as it turned its head it was blasted away by Luffy's Gatling Gun. Over and over Luffy's fists collided with the beast; powerful punches that could break solid stone.

The pounding didn't stop for a long while; for Luffy knew that this might be his only chance to get a direct hit on his opponent. Finally, it was over. The dog lay still on the earth, which had also taken a beating.

Then it was silent. Luffy fell to the ground completely exhausted, but alive, which was better than expected. The dogs around them were shocked at what had happened. It had been so obvious that their leader would win, and that they would be free to feast on the flesh of the humans, but everything had gone wrong in only a second's time.

Nami leapt over the unconscious beast to the side of her fallen captain. He was gasping for breath and clearly in serious pain. She fell to her knees beside him and took him in her arms. The light from the fire (which had spread to several buildings since it had been ignited) revealed his wound and she could barely stand to look upon it. Pieces of flesh hung off of the open wound and whatever blood had been lapped up by the wolves had been replaced.

Nami felt tears roll down her face as she held the boy's head in her lap. This was all her fault and no apology would fix things.

"N-Nami" she heard Luffy say weakly "I'm really glad you came back."

Her eyes widened in shock. Why does he say such thing when she was responsible for the condition he was in? Whatever the case, she needed to get him to Chopper before it was too late.

The navigator began to pick him up but winced, forgetting that she had injured her arm earlier. It mattered not, for if she quit now he would surely die. Building up her strength, she pulled her captain's arm over her shoulder and stood up. He grunted in pain as he was forced to move his injured side. He almost wished he was still fighting, for at least then he was forced to ignore the pain and focus on something else.

"Where do you think you're going" growled one of the larger dogs in the pack.

"We're returning to our ship" Nami replied brusquely. 'Where did they think they were going?'

"You think we're just going to let you go after what you just did?" he asked with a small chuckle.

"Um, yes. That was the agreement. If Luffy was to beat your leader, we could leave without any trouble."

"And you think we have to obey our leader? Well, he has no control over us and we can do what we want, such as avenging him. Along with that, we all still want a taste of your human flesh."

Nami's eyes widened in shock and Luffy grimaced in frustration.

'No!' she yelled in her head 'we've come so far. We can't let it end here, after all that Luffy's been through to get us back safely.'

"Nami" Luffy said weakly. He had grown so quiet she almost hadn't heard him. "I have to fight them off. If I don't we'll both die, so please-" he winced in pain, and as she looked down at her captain, she could see his eyes were hurt and filled with sadness "run. If you don't… if you don't all my efforts will be in vain."

"I won't leave you to die Luffy" she said firmly. The dogs waited for the two to say their last words.

"Who says I'm gonna die?" Luffy asked with a tone Nami had never heard before. His voice was always filled with honest confidence, but the words that had just left his mouth, they were insincere. He was trying to put on that certain face, but for the first time, she read the boy differently. What he said was not what he believed. Did he really think he was going to die here?

Nami felt tears come to her eyes. Why was this happening? He had defeated the one he was supposed to defeat; like all the times before. How could more be expected from him? She knew that his greatest desire was to give his all to keep his crew safe. He would even give his own life, but what now? After he had already given all his strength, he was completely willing to give his life, but it would not be enough. That sadness she had seen in him was not his fear of death, but the mourning within his heart knowing that he would be unable to protect his nakama.

She now had a decision to make. Would she stay and die with her captain, or run, giving him the hope that she would survive? Before she could decide Luffy removed his weight from the navigator and stood on his own. His exhaustion could be read on his face like words in a book. He was nearing the point of unconsciousness and swayed a bit as he raised his hands into a fighting stance.

The dogs had circled them and had decided that the two had had enough time to say their last words. The pack moved forward slowly, just in case the captain spurted out another power boost.

To be continued…

YAY! Update! Thanks so much for the reviews, they make me happy! I'm almost done with this and will soon be returning to "For Nakama" for all of you who haven't forgotten that it exists. I hope u enjoyed this chapter, be expecting more updates. Thanks for reading!


	8. Lost Hope

Lost Hope

Luffy's vision began to blur and he was struck with the fear that he would pass out before he could put up any kind of a fight. It was too late and he felt himself topple backwards. He was caught, however, by Nami's supporting shoulder. She had her back to him and he turned his head to see what she was doing. She had put up a fighting stance as well and the two stood back to back, facing their last opponents.

"Weren't you the one who told Vivi to risk the lives of her nakama as well? She tried to take all the burden of her friends on her own shoulders, but you taught her that nakama aren't just people you protect. They are there to have your back when you're in a jam, and are there to risk their lives for you."

Luffy's lifeless eyes widened as he heard his navigator speak. She was ready to go with him into the hopeless battle, to death.

"N-Nami" he spoke quietly. Though he spoke so faintly, his voice expressed an amazing love and pride in her she couldn't explain. With just one word, he had expressed a passion that some would have to write books to express; a tender gratefulness that touched her heart and soul. She couldn't her stop crying.

The first wolf pounced at the captain and he swung his arm back to counter. He weakly managed to ward off the first one by slamming his fist into the dog's face.

"Nami, grab my arm and pull it."

His voice was still faint, but she didn't hesitate to do as he said. She took his arm and stretched it backwards.

"Now let it go, quick" he said leaning forward.

As she did so he pushed his shoulder forward, propelling his arm ahead. Their teamwork was successful and he plowed down yet another attacking beast.

Luffy began to see black spots in his vision, realizing that he wouldn't be conscious much longer.

"Nami, I don't think I can keep this up, so I think we should try to get out of here quick."

Nami had skidded under an attacking werewolf as it jumped at her and kicked it in the stomach. The dog yelped as it was thrown back then slowly got to its feet.

Luffy looked over at her as she blocked another attack and blinked. His navigator was quite a fighter. The light from the fire reflected off of her so he could finally see her clearly. Her jacket was blood-stained and she was covered in mud, but to him she was flawless.

Now, however, was not the time to be checking Nami out. The situation was perilous and was about to get worse if he passed out now. He had to use what little bit of energy he had left to get them out of here.

"Nami, get over here!" he shouted and she slipped as she ran over to him.

"I'm gonna try and get us out of here but I need you to do two things. If a dog jumps at us, you must keep it off of us, and when we get to the roof, grab it; I don't think I have the strength to."

Nami could tell her captain was having trouble staying conscious. His eyes were glazed over and he swayed to and fro, catching himself if he began to nod off. His last gamble was a good idea. It was escape or die, and she doubted she would be able to fight off the dogs.

"Ok" she said nodding her head, then she blocked one of the dogs before it could pounce on Luffy. She fought them off until she had found an opening that gave them some time to escape.

"NOW!" she shouted then grabbed on to him, hoping he had the strength to get them out.

To her relief, he snapped back into reality and with a great heave he swung his arm behind him then propelled it forward. She wondered where he found the energy as he grabbed on to a building-top. They flew forward and as she felt herself rub against her captain's injured side. He jolted in pain and a horrible guilt swelled up inside of her, but it was gone in a second, for around the same time, she spotted two wolves that had leapt up to intercept them. She wondered how she would be able to keep them off, but since she had no time to think she decided to try something crazy. Grabbing on to what was left of her captain's shirt, she swung herself around his body, hoping it wouldn't cause him too much discomfort. As she swung under him she brought her leg up just in time to smash the first wolf under the jaw. It was caught off guard and flew back down to the earth in shock. She was surprised it had worked, and was quite delighted in herself, but there was still the other wolf. They were moving so quickly that she only had a couple seconds left till they would reach their destination. Luffy seemed to have already lost consciousness but his grip on the roof remained sturdy. She slipped down, praying that she wouldn't loose her grip, and grabbed onto her captain's ankle with both of her hands. Letting the rest of her body extend into the open she brought her ankles together as the next beast flew at the two. In a swift movement, she pushed her strong, but spent legs forward into the monster's chest. She was surprised by her own strength as the kick shot the wolf through the air.

'Guess that comes from hanging around a captain like mine' she thought to herself 'you get stronger and stronger through your experiences.'

She suddenly had to snap back into reality realizing that their destination was upon them. The navigator grasped that she was in no position to grab hold on the roof as they crashed into the building. She was barely holding on to her captain at the time so rather than grabbing hold to the roof, they fell to the balcony below.

"Ow" Nami mumbled aloud as she pushed herself up with her arms. She looked over to see Luffy completely unconscious next to her but was glad to see him breathing faintly. It was weird how he seemed completely like another person when he was like this. Even when he slept he snored horribly and loved to fidget, but after a rough battle he would lay still with a look on his face that seemed to show them he was still with them. That he was fighting to return to them. She crawled over to him and brushed his hair out of his face; it had long since been drenched in the rain. There was that expression that, for some reason, pained her to look upon.

Suddenly she heard the dogs below and realized that they were nowhere near safe. She went to grab her captain but it was too late. In a very short moment, ten of the larger werewolves had leapt at once toward the balcony. Nami let out a scream and before she knew it they had all scrambled on the terrace, but the weight was too much for all of them and the entire balcony collapsed beneath their weight. They all went plummeting into the street below. Nami had grabbed hold of her captain just before the fall and refused to let go even upon landing on the hard ground. She felt herself skid across the wet road and finally came to a stop somewhere near the middle.

She had landed on her left leg in the fall and she was pretty sure she had broken it. It hurt like crazy but she had to get Luffy out of there. She tried to stand but fell to the earth once again. It would have been hopeless to begin with. She looked up to see that they were completely surrounded by the pack, with no hope of escape.

Nami didn't try to get up again. She just reached over and pulled Luffy to her. She took his head in her arms and buried her face in his unkempt hair. After all they had been through, after all he had sacrificed for her, the conclusion was the same. She began to cry and held him tighter as the wolves moved in.

"Aren't you gonna run girl?" one of the dogs asked.

She looked up at the beast. "I will stay with my captain" she replied.

"You mean you'll die with your captain" it corrected "it would still be fun to give you another head start."

"No."

"Fine then, die."

The dog speaking to her was the first to jump at her and she shut her eyes tightly. She just wanted to stay with Luffy and hold him till the end came, but she knew the beasts would not be so kind.

As the werewolf bore down on them there was a sudden flash of light and it was blasted away. She opened her eyes again and looked to see what had just happened.

"OI, Nami, Luffy, you ok!?" she heard Franky's voice come from down the street.

To be continued…

BUM BUM BUM! Ok, I know its really short, but I kinda wanted to end it there, but the next chapter should sum it all up. Yup, the next chapter will finish this story, and I shall return to writing "For Nakama". YAY! HAPPY NEW YEARS! Do R&R, I like to read ur comments .


	9. Sunrise to Sunset

Sunrise and Sunset

"Franky!" she shouted.

"What is it now?" growled one of the wolves.

"It seems our nakama has come for us" Nami said confidently.

"Nani!?" another barked.

"Oni Guiri!" came Zoro's voice, followed by a powerful attack that wiped out a dozen of the beasts. He finished his attack and stopped beside Nami and their captain.

"What the heck happened?!"

"Long story; we need to get Luffy to Chopper fast."

"Can do" he replied as he sliced another dozen. The swordsman had gotten used to short answers when they were in battle, so this was nothing new.

"Oi! Sanji! Get over here and take Nami and Luffy to Chopper!"

"Don't tell me what to do Marimo! You're no boss of me!" was the harsh response, but the tone changed completely as the cook ran over to his navigator. "Nami, I would love to take you back to the Thousand Sunny, it seems you are injured."

"Don't mind me; you should take Luffy and leave me so you can cover more ground quickly."

Sanji looked broken hearted for a moment but upon seeing the severity of his captain's injuries he took the boy from Nami without question. With that, Sanji ran off at an amazing speed down the street. Nami watched as the two faded into the distance. Robin had Zoro's back as they fought off the attacking wolves. Despite the overwhelming relief that they had been saved, she felt guilty that she hadn't been able to have Luffy's back in the battle. Perhaps if she had been more like Robin, he would have been able to fight to the best of his ability.

As the fire blazed beside them, she watched them fight; no longer afraid of the horrible monsters that had chased them that night. It was finally over, and even the guilt of what she had done could not keep her from being overwhelmed with relief and happiness. Her crewmates were here for her, and with them she was safe.

The wolves were defeated soundly, and the fire devoured the town till only a couple buildings remained. The pack escaped into the forest and would soon adapt to the land. After their leader had vanished that stormy night, they were free to live as they pleased. They had grown unhappy living in houses and selling trinkets to each other. As the years would pass by, less and less would return to the village till they had forgotten its existence, and the curios travelers would come upon the town and wonder what had become of the inhabitants. The only outsiders to know the cursed secret would have long since set sail to follow their dreams and would not be troubled by it.

Nami had been carried back to the Thousand Sunny and was given a new set of clothes, a blanket, and hot chocolate. They all huddled around her, listening attentively as she told them of what had just occurred. Robin was very intrigued about the pack and how they could speak as well as transform. (Of course, they would have to wait till Luffy was awake to hear the whole story).

Chopper went nuts when he saw Luffy's condition and rushed him to his new doctor's office (compliments of Water 7). If it had been a case that wasn't life threatening, the deer would have been thrilled to finally use it, but seeing his captain in such condition ruined his first experience. The boy looked so exhausted and pale, in addition to being covered in blood. Laying him gently on the bed, he opened his medical box and began work.

As the others sat with their navigator, the reindeer came running in.

"I need more blood for Luffy! He's lost too much already and is barely alive! Who has an A blood type?"

Zoro and Usopp both jumped up at once and followed the doctor out of the room. Robin looked over at Nami and smiled kindly. "Well that's good to know" she said turning her head toward the window (they had gone up to the crow's nest, which was a decently large, circular room). "At least we know that when he hurts himself next time, we'll have two blood donors."

Nami wished she could help Chopper. She wanted to do something for Luffy; anything that would make him get better, but once again, she was useless. She noticed Robin watching her from the corner of her eye and she looked down at the marshmallows melting in her hot chocolate.

After a while, the rest of the group returned to the deck of the ship, curious of how their captain was fairing. Usopp walked out of the doctor's quarters holding a bandage on his arm.

"He looks really bad, but Chopper is a good doctor, and Luffys a good patient." He looked over at Nami "don't worry."

A couple minutes later Zoro walked out and joined the others sitting outside the operating room. All they could do was sit there worrying and pacing the floor. Usopp asked Nami for details on what had happened.

"Usopp, I don't think now is-" Sanji started to stop him.

"No, its fine; Better than sitting here doing nothing" she said letting out a sigh. To her surprise, it didn't hurt too much to discuss what had happened, and she almost wanted to talk about it to get it off her chest.

Chopper sluggishly came walking out of his office. He looked exhausted and still had blood spots on his fur.

"He has a bad fever. That's what happens when you get injuries like that, and then run around in freezing rain and mud. He's lost so much blood, but Zoro and Usopp were very generous, so I don't think that'll be a problem. It's actually a good thing he went running around in the pouring rain though. Believe it or not, that might have saved his life. Since the rain was so heavy, it weakened him a bit like sea water-"

"And that's a good thing?" Franky interrupted.

"Well, it slowed him down, along with his heart rate. So, as it slowed, his blood stopped flowing as quickly as it would have, which also means that it didn't leave his body as quickly."

"Makes since to me" Zoro stated.

"Good, but that doesn't change the fact that he's been seriously injured. If his fever doesn't kill him, his wounds might. I just hope I didn't miss anything, those gashes were terribly deep. Was he attacked by a beast Nami?"

"Yeah, pretty much" she responded.

"Well, you guys can go in and see him now. Don't be alarmed by his appearance, he's just in bad condition."

They all got up and headed toward the door.

"Just don't crowd him Ok?" Chopper said before they walked in.

Luffy was lying on a soft bed with white sheets. It was definitely not where he was operated on. Nami looked over to her left and spotted the operating table. It had been covered with a white cloth since Chopper didn't want to waste time cleaning up, but she could still smell blood in the air. She turned her head back to her captain, who was panting softly. Beads of sweat could be seen on his forehead, and his hair was wet from the perspiration. His eyes were shut tightly and his brow was furrowed as if he were fighting the sickness in his elapsed state of consciousness. This was somewhat a relief for Nami since he didn't seem as lifeless as he had been in the town.

After watching over their captain for a few hours, the crewmates decided it best that they get some rest. Chopper would come in and check on the boy every few minutes, and every time he did, those who remained in the room would watch his face to see if he was worried. The reindeer couldn't be read to their dismay. His eyes always looked concerned… or were they hopeful? Usopp and Sanji would whisper to one another what they thought, but couldn't agree on any one thought. Franky decided to ship off since the log pose had changed its direction and they were soon out to sea. Nami was glad to leave the island. It was a real pity though. It had been so beautiful with those red and yellow leaves and the beautiful sunset, but it was a perfect example of how twisted the grand line; that such a beautiful place could be blemished with such horrible things.

The others didn't bother to tell Nami to take a rest. They knew she wouldn't leave his side that night, so they let her be. To keep herself busy she would swab his head with a wet towel. She knew that this small act did a load of good to the recipient. At least it made him more comfortable. She remembered how she had gotten that fever after leaving the "Little Garden". The navigator shuttered at the thought. She had come so close to death over those few days. If it hadn't been for her crewmate's determination to get her to a doctor, she would have surely died. She had been barely conscious at the time, but she remembered Luffy placing his coat over her to be sure she was warm. This, however, left him with nothing but a vest and shorts.

She smiled. It had been a while since she recollected those adventures. So she took up her time thinking on the past and caring for Luffy. He was burning with fever and looked to be in pain. At first she wondered if the fever was hurting him, but then hit herself when she remembered those horrible wounds he had gotten. It wasn't like after a certain period of time the pain just went away.

Chopper had set Nami's broken leg and had properly bandaged her injured arm, so when he came in he focused on his captain. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so he did his work without taking notice to her, and with that, the night drew on and the hours began to blend together till everyone had lost track of time…

The clouds peeled back, revealing a rising sun that cast shadows upon the Thousand Sunny. Color spilled out across the heavens and blended down into the sea till everything the sun touched was struck with a magnificent flush. Everything was tranquil on the ship as the crew slowly went about their business; every one of them concerned about their captains condition. Sanji was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, Zoro watched the sunrise from the crows nest, Robin had stayed up late during the night writing down what Nami had told about the island, so she had fallen asleep at the kitchen table. Usopp had decided to paint a picture of the view as a get well soon present for Luffy, but was worried that the sun would rise before he could get the entire effect. Franky had taken charge over the navigation since Nami had stayed with Luffy through the night.

The navigator was awoken by a stream of light coming through the window. 'Must be morning' she thought to herself as she sat up and looked around drowsily. 'Had it all been a dream? No, she could definitely tell that her leg was broken, but had Luffy recovered?'She looked over at the sleeping boy as the rays of sun shown off his calm face. He finally looked to be sleeping peacefully. It wasn't his lively snoring sleep, but at least he wasn't in pain. A look of great relief spread across her face as she laid her head on Luffy's chest and gazed out the window at the beautiful sunrise. 'It was really over.'

Chopper came walking in with a plate of hash browns and bacon. She could finally read his face to understand that Luffy was going to be alright.

"Here Nami" he said as he handed the plate up to her.

"Why thank you chopper" she replied, smiling as she took it from him.

"What a relief" the deer stated as he checked up on the raven haired boy. "He pulled through; I can't wait to go tell the others."

With that the reindeer rushed out the room excitedly. Nami smiled and leaned back in the chair. The others would be in there soon.

A couple minutes later they had all returned to the room except for Usopp who was still working on the painting. They all looked very relieved but Chopper told them that it might be a while before he awoke. Just because the fever had broken, didn't mean that he was all better. So after they had all been satisfied in seeing he was in good health, they returned to their bidding. Sanji went off to make plans for a great feast for when his captain awoke, knowing his hunger would not be tamed till he had eaten enough for an army. Nami finally left Luffys side for a time. She didn't know exactly what to do with her time so she decided to make conversation with Usopp as he worked on his art. He was more than willing to answer her questions since he was a story teller after all.

"So, how did you guys know that we were in trouble and where to find us?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, we had all gotten a bit concerned about you two since it had taken you so long to return and with that storm there wasn't much you could do out there. Of course, you could have been waiting for the storm to pass so we didn't bother checking for the time being. However, Chopper had been in the crows nest at the time and had heard a faint shout from the town. I think you can guess it was Luffy's, so he rushed down and told us what he had just heard. He really wanted to come along, but since it was pouring rain outside, we decided that he would be of better use back on the ship. I can't imagine him trying to patch Luffy up in that storm. So with that, the rest of us headed into town, but with no heading, we had no idea where to go, and Zoro wasn't much help. He kept wondering off into these dead ends, and we would follow thinking he knew what he was doing."

"What was going on in your head?" Nami chuckled.

"I don't know, but I suppose that since we had no idea where to go, we were all kind of hoping someone had an idea."

The marksman fixed a mistake on his painting with his thumb, blended the orange and yellow together on his palette, and then continued his story.

"It was the fire you started that gave us a lead. However, we apparently had wondered to the other end of the town and had quite a distance to go before we reached you. That's what took us so long. I'm just glad we got there before you were killed."

"Me too" Nami added as she stood up. She figured the story was over, and since the marksman didn't continue, she decided to grab a blanket from inside. It was still rather brisk on deck.

The day passed by slowly. Usopp and Chopper fished off the side of the boat though they were still getting used to its height. Sanji had asked them too since he knew he would need the food for later. They had been fairly successful but every few minutes they would complain about how they missed Luffy. The trio was down to two and it had upset them to fish without their captain, but it couldn't be helped so they complained to entertain themselves.

Nami had returned to Luffy's side wrapped in a warm quilt that she had randomly decided to make one day when she had found the materials in a small island town. It had turned out pretty good to her pleasure and pride with its light blue squares and black lining. It was so warm and soft, she soon found herself dozing off again.

Luffy slowly opened his eyes and took a long look at the ceiling wondering where he was. He felt terribly weak and could barely move his head, but as he looked around he realized where he was. What a pleasant relief it was to wake up in a warm bed on his ship, especially after that horribly cold night. The pain was still there, but he could tell he'd been put on some kind of medication because of his lacking ability to focus on anything. His eyes wondered lazily around the room, spotting Nami sleeping in a chair beside him.

"Thank heavens" he said softly. He was surprised to find tears running down his face and blinked to be sure that he was actually crying. It wasn't like him to be like this, but he had been so worried that Nami wouldn't make it, that seeing her in good health overwhelmed him. He kept quiet so not to wake her and soon found himself slipping back into unconsciousness.

The day passed slowly by. Nami would awaken and pick up a book, read a few pages, then put it down and go back to sleep. She had lost so much energy the night before she didn't mind lazing around the entire day. No one bothered her and she was grateful.

Evening was creeping in and Chopper had returned to the captain's side to replace his bandages. As his cold hooves touched Luffy's side however, the boy awoke with a start.

"Oi Chopper, your cold!" he complained loudly.

"Luffy! You're awake!"

"I noticed" he replied chuckling.

"Luffy!" Nami got up and hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back with his free arm. He then caught Chopper who had jumped up on him. The others had heard Chopper's shout of joy and came running in. There was great celebration and they all carried their captain out of the room. He laughed happily and soon they had made their way to the large kitchen below deck.

"OHH!! IM STARVED!" he shouted when he spotted the feast on the table. Once again, the entire crew was awestruck by Sanji's ability to fix such monstrous meals with spectacular exquisiteness. Everything looked delicious and immediately the captain began to stuff his face with whatever his hands could reach first. The crew let him down quickly and rushed to the table to snag some of the meal for themselves. It was a rough battle, but to their surprise, Sanji had fixed enough to go around, even with Luffy there.

Once they had finished eating, Luffy was pounded by questions about the werewolves and he was ready with answers, along with questions for them. He had hardly recalled what had happened after he had attacked Garth that last time, so he had them go over what ensued afterwards.

Nami was a little surprised at how easily he could talk about what had happened the night before. It had been so traumatic; probably more so for him, but he talked about it like it had been all fun and games. She supposed that she was glad for that. It removed the awkwardness that she had expected there to be when talking about the horrific experience.

Usopp gave him the painting of the sunset that he had painted that morning and Luffy's eyes sparkled with amazement.

"AWESOME! Usopps amazing!"

With that, the marksman went on for a while bragging about the different techniques he had used (some which he made up), then continued on about the different art masters that had taught him. Every word that came from Usopp's mouth, Luffy believed. As for the others (besides Chopper, who was also enchanted), they just sat back and watched him as he put on a show.

After several hours of conversation and silliness, the crew decided to let their captain get some more rest. Even as he talked with such enthusiasm, they could tell he was worn out and needed a respite. So Usopp dragged him back to the room despite his insistence that he was perfectly fine now that he had eaten his fill, but even he had to admit that a bit more rest was needed, so he complied grudgingly.

A couple minutes later though, he had slipped out of the doctor's office and climbed up on top of the orange and red roof. He had wanted to see the sunset over the ocean.

Nami had come to see him in the office, but when she found he wasn't there she began to search the ship but didn't bother telling any of the others. After wondering around for a while, she finally spotted him on the roof. He was sitting up with his arms rested on his knees and she could see he had fallen asleep. She smiled then felt a rush of cool air sweep across her bare arms. She saw the captain shiver and decided to fetch him a blanket.

Returning with her quilt, with some difficulty, she made her way up to the sleeping boy, and the cast on her leg didn't help the process. He was napping calmly and she could hear a soft snore from where his head rested on his forearms. She grinned and quietly, so not to disturb him, she placed the quilt over him gently. To her dismay however, he drowsily opened his eyes and looked up at her. Her face turned beat red and she jumped back, her cast slipping on the rounded roof. Luffy quickly caught her by the arm and she steadied herself. Once she was back on her two feet she quickly turned away from him. "You just looked a little cold is all" she mumbled hastily as she started to make her way back down to the deck. Luffy, however, didn't release her hand and she looked back in surprise. His eyes were curious, as if he didn't understand why on earth she would want to return to the deck.

"The suns' about to set" he said plainly.

"I know that" she replied in almost a guilty tone.

"Don'tcha want to watch it with me?" he asked happily as a huge grin crossed his face.

Nami blinked, baffled, then smiled. "Of course I want to Luffy."

"Good" he said, pulling her down beside him.

She blushed a bit, then situated herself comfortably next to her captain. He smiled, then threw half of the quilt over top of her, causing her to blush even more, though she thought she noticed a bit of pink on his face as well. This made her happy and she leaned over onto his shoulder. Now it was Luffy's turn to turn beat red, but he quickly calmed down and smiled, leaning his head over on hers. The sun began to set but before it had vanished under the horizon, the two had fallen fast asleep.

Robin watched from the crows nest happily. What a cute pair they were.

The End…

YAY! I actually finished a fanfiction! I'm so happy! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! The encouragement was great, and I'm sorry if the ending disappointed you. Don't worry though, the more I write, the more experience I get. So hopefully, "For Nakama" will be updated real soon. If u forgot wut has happened so far, do re-read it with the hope that I shall update. Thanks again! You guys are great.


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